What is Hot Stone Therapy?

Hot Stone Therapy Massage uses both hot and cold stones with traditional massage techniques to bring about deep relaxation and balance to mind, body and soul. It combines ancient healing arts with more conventional massage techniques allowing the therapist to work deeper into the body’s tissues.

What are the benefits of hot stone therapy?

There are many benefits to hot stone therapy and these include improved skin tone and colour, better circulation, deeper more relaxed breathing, improved lymph drainage, relief to tired/stiff joints and muscles, speed up digestion and waste removal, reduction of stress and tension, relaxation of the mind and promotes positive feelings.

What happens during an appointment?

Prior to a treatment a consultation is carried out. After this you will be asked to undress to your underwear and lay on the treatment couch. There is no need to feel embarrassed as you will be covered with towels and only the area being worked on will be exposed. About half way through the session you will be asked to turn over so that I can work on the other side, unless you have opted for the back only session.

A combination of traditional massage techniques and use of both hot and cold stones will be used. Stones are used both as placements to provide heat to muscles not being worked on and as a massage tool to allow deeper penetration of tense and tired muscles. Where appropriate cold stones may be used and you will be given warning prior to their use.

At the end of the session you will be given a glass of water, home care advice and time to come round before leaving to get on with the rest of your day.

What is involved with the consultation?

When visiting for the first time a full consultation will be carried out, looking your at medical history, life style and what you want to achieve from your treatment. This is a vital and totally confidential process to ensure that you receive the most from your visit and that there are no medical reasons to prevent the session going ahead. The process takes approximately 15 minutes and you are welcome to book this extra time at no extra cost. However, if time is limited treatment time will be adjusted to accommodate the consultation. Following visits will only require a couple of minutes to check that nothing has changed and to discuss results/reactions to the previous session.

What are the origins of Hot Stone Therapy?

The Chinese have used heated stones to relieve tired aching muscles for over 3000 years and in Hawaii, Kahunas (priests/elders) still use warm lava stones wrapped in moist Noni bark for massage to restore a person’s life force. Many Native American Indian tribes use stones for a variety of reasons ranging from just warming themsleves to initiation rites. These stones are often referred to as the Stone Clan.

In the nineteenth century a Bavarian by the name of Sebastian Kneipp was a great believer in hydrotherapy and was a founder of Naturopathic Medicine. This healing method had five main doctrines these being hydrotherapy, herbalism, exercise, nutrition and spirituality. He has had a significant influence on the development of modern day Spa industry. Mary Nelson first used heated and cooled stones for massage in 1993 and she is recognised as the founder of modern day stone or geothermotherapy. She has developed the use of stones for various massage techniques and routines which are widely used today.